Fabric drying machine



Dec. 17, 1957 F. H. RICHTERKr-:sslNG ETAL 2,816,742

FABRIC DRYIN MACHINE, v Filed Feb. 21, 1955 2 sheets-sneer;

/N VEN 729/65 fem/(M kfcHee/ffss/N WALTER M. /A/GOLQ Dec. 17, 1957 F. H.RICHTERKESSING ETAL FABRIC DRYING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb.21, 1955 /WEM FABRIC DRYING MACHINE Frank H. Richterkessing and WalterM. lngold, Louisville,

Ky., assignors to W. M. Cissell Manufacturing Company, Louisville, Ky.,a corporation of Kentucky Application February 21, 1955, Serial No.439,366

8 Claims. (Cl. 259-89) This invention relates to fabric drying machinesof the type employed by commercial laundries and drycleaningestablishments for drying articles of clothing and the like, whichcomprises a cylinder (cylindrical basket) or drum rotatively mountedwithin a suitable casing and adapted to receive fabrics, articles ofclothing or the like to be dried therein by circulated air heated bygas, steam or electricity.

ln these machines the cylinder or drum is provided with an axial openingin one of its end walls through which the articles to be dried areintroduced and removed, and the casing is provided with a door inregister with the opening in the drum.

A. plurality of agitating ribs extend between the end walls of the drumand project radially inwardly, for a comparatively short distance, fromthe peripherical inside surface of the drum. ln operation these ribsserve to lift and tumble the articles to be dried so that thorough andefcient drying is accomplished.

Drying machines of this type are customarily referred to as open enddrying tumblers, the rotating drum being provided with a supportingshaft extending axially and longitudinally outwardly from the end wallopposite to that having the axial opening. This shaft is journaled inbearings carried by the casing, and, through a suitable electric motorand driving mechanism connected to the shaft, rotates the drum.

The combined weight of the drum and the articles of clothing constitutean overhung load carried by the shaft, and the added forces of thetumbling articles of clothing within the drum, often cause a drum ofconventional structure to distort or sag and lose its alignment so thatits useful life is materially decreased. Further, the construction ofcontemporary drums is such that the pulsative load of the tumblingfabrics is transmitted as an intermittent impact directly to thesupporting bearings causing uneven and/or excessive wear, misalignmentand lubrication difficulties in the bearings.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a rib and supportingshaft construction that will greatly strengthen the rotating drum andthus allow it to handle loads of fabrics in the neighborhood ofone-hundred pounds dry weight. A further object of this invention is theprovision of an improved drum construction which will materially reducebearing wear. Other and distinct objects will become apparent from thedescription and claims which follow..

As an example addressed to those skilled in the art,

the present invention enables open end and dry tumblersl CFI sheetmaterial, and a cylindrical wall of perforated sheet material.

The ribs are substantially uniform in shape throughout theirlongitudinal length, and each rib has a triangular cross sectional shapewith a rounded apex and the base in contact with the inside cylindricalsurface of the drum.

Heretofore, a heavy longitudinal stud was placed within the spacebetween the inside surfaces of each rib for clamping the rib between theend walls of the drum. lf this stud was tightened too much, the ribbuckled throughout its length, resulting in a weak construction thatreadily distorted in use. Likewise, since the drum is constructed ofsheet metal, vany distortion or buckling of a rib would allow its studto become loose, and thus cause the drum to wobble and strike portionsof the casing. On the other hand, if the studs were not tightenedsuiliciently, the entire assembly would Work loose after a short periodof operation.

In the present invention, the ribs are constructed so that theyconstitute structural struts connecting the end wall members of thedrum; they are so arranged that neither the combined weight of the drumand the fabrics, or the added forces from the tumbling of fabrics, willloosen the ribs and allow the drum to sag. They also are constructed sothat they cannot be buckled by excessive tightening during assembly, andso that the weight of the load of fabrics substantially keeps the ribslongitudinally in tension.

We attain the foregoing, as will hereinafter appear, by employing thenovel constructions and the combinations and arrangements of elementsdescribed below and illustrated` in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure l is a perspective view of a drying basket embodying ourinvention, with portions broken away to illustrate the generalrelationship of the improved construction.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the rib structure alone showing theend members )l5-B and the inwardly extending anges Ztl-21 having theattaching ears 16 longitudinally along the length thereof;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly in section taken online 3-3 of Fig. 5, and illustrating the details of the structurejoining the ribs to the front wall member and supporting spider arms 53adjacent the rear wall member;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view illustrating the details of thestructure joining one of the ribs to the front wall member 13;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary front end view of the cyl inder showing one ofthe clamping plates 18 in relationship to the three clamping bolts 17and the end members 15-B of a rib 15, also the clinched ears 16 in theperforations of the cylindrical wall 12; and

Figures 6 and 7 are respectively perspective and plan views of theinterior clamping plates 18 and 19.

Referring to Figure l of the drawings, the drying machine includes acasing 1 provided with an integral bearing boss for rotativelyjournaling the drive shaft 50 of a drier cylindrical basket or drum 1t).Casing 1 also carries a bracket element 4 supporting a drive motor 2 connected for rotating the drive shaft 50. The remainder of the casingstructure, including baffling elements have been deleted for the sake ofclarity.

The novel drier drum comprises la perforated zcylindrical wall 12,preferably formed of galvanized 'sheet metal, which is broken away inthe ligure to expose `the construction and position of four fabricyagitating ribs 15. The ribs 15 are disposed 90 apart about the internalperiphery of wall 12 intermediate a front wall 13 and a rear wall 14.Each rib includes a plurality of locking ears 16 which project throughper-foratons 22 in `wall 12 and are clinched against the outer surfaceof the wall to anchor the ribs in their set position. The Walls 13 and14 are forcibly inserted into the `open ends of the cylindrical rim 12and when so positioned form an enclosed clothes receiving chamber ordrum. Front wall member 13 includes a central opening 122 providingaccess for loading and unloading the clothes in cooperation with -aconventional door means in the cabinet (not illustrated). Peripheralflanges -of the respective end wall members are welded -to the IWall 12,and, in accordance with the present invention, cooperate with the ribs15 to form -a unique drum or cylinder supporting truss in a manner morefully described hereinafter. The unique rib construction and `thefunction of the truss arrangement will 'be better understood byreference to Figures 2, 3, and 4.

As shown in VFigure 2, each rib comprises an elongated triangularenvelope 15 of a relatively light material such as galvanized sheetmetal. In forming the rib, the sheet material is bent into a -V and theterminal side edges turned inwardly to form opposed longitudinalstiffening flanges 20, 21. The locking ears 16 extend at spacedintervals from vthe side edges of the flanges and are `bent downwardlyso as to be readily positioned `for passage through the perforationswhen the ribs are placed in the peripheral wall 12 during assembly. Apair of vertical anges 15B and 15B are formed at the respective ends ofthe rib and are provided with holes 23 and 24 for a purpose hereinafterapparent. The flanges extend inwardly towards each other but terminate ashort distance apart t-o present a bolt receiving area 15 A. As will bereadily understood by those skilled in the art, the thin materialforming member- 1'5, although made substantially more rugged by itstriangular configuration, is not a rigid support member; and indeed isincapable of withstanding any substantial compressive force along itslongitudinal axis without deforming. However, the thin sheet material iscapable4 -of withstanding relatively high tensional forces; and, inaccordance with the present invention, this characteristics is utilizedto provide a support truss arrangement of equal facility and lessexpense than those of the contemporary art. This will be betterunderstood by reference totheparticular method employed to connect theribs in the drum asshown in Figures 3 andl 4.

As will be notedy by reference to Figure l, the entire drum unit is`suspended from a single end lbearing 3 by means of the drive shaft 50.and` the. integral spider 55. The spiderV 5'v comprises a central boss51 supporting radial arms 53 which terminate in shaped baiseelements 54.These baseA elements-form: a connector junction for i joining the drumycomponents to` the spider in a tight -vibration-resistant union. Therespective arms are reinforced lby a circular. flange 52; providing anexceptionally strong, base of relatively lightweight. The details of theconnection betweenl the spider base elements 54, the

wall member 14 and ribs 15 will be better understood lby reference toFigure 3 which illustrates the details of one such connection.

As shown, the rear wall member 14 has an axial flange 1,4-A whichextends outwardly to the termin-al edge of wall 12. Perforations 1441?vare provided in flange 14-A for receiving-deposits.ofjtiller metal(shaded in the figure) for `permanently securing the rear wall member tothe peripheral wall 1,2,as by a tack welding operation. Bolt holes areformed inthe face of the wall member 14 in four equidist-antlyspacedgroups of -three each `for mating with the holes 54A int-he spiderarms. One of Ithe ribs is shown-positioned lengthwise insidedrum12 withits end flanges 15B abutting'- the inner` face4 o f wall 14.iand itsreinforcing-.webs 20,` 21;A lying,y flush against; the surface ofperipheral wall4 12 andxedly secured therein by the clinchedears 16extending-throughthe wall perforations 22. The front edge o f thel ribisy brokenr away toshovv the, position of a triangularlocking; or.securing plate 19 inside the rib inluslr alignment with-angeslSB. As'.

lll

best seen in Fig. 7 Plate 19 also is provided with three spaced boltholes 17A and suitable locking nuts 17B welded to the inner face of theplate. Two of the holes 17A are so placed as to align `with the holes23, 24 in the respective rib flanges 15 (see Figure 2), which, in turn,are in alignment with the lower holes in the wall 14 and spider ibase54. With this arrangement, bolts 17 can be placed through the respectiveholes into mating engagement with the lock nuts 17A to draw lthe entireassembly into a strong, vibration free mounting with the adjacent faceof the spider "base 54.

The connection of the other end of the ribs 15 to the front wall 13 ismade in a similar manner, as will be more readily understood byreference to Figs. 4 and 5. As therein illustrated, the rib 15 is joinedwith the face of wall 13 via an external V-shaped clamping plate 18, ribflanges 15B, and an internal clamping plate 19. With the exception ofplate 18, the structure of the component parts is similar to that setforth with respect to Figure 3. Since the front end of the drum isfreely suspended, it is unnecessary and undesirable to employ asupporting spider, or the like, for anchoring the forward ends of rib15. Instead, it has been found very convenient to utilize the V shapedclamping plates 18 in conjunction with the rela tively thin wall 13 andits axial flange 13A to produce a substantial arrangement in which wall13 ties the four ribs into a rigid cantilever truss unit anchored atspider 55 but capable of free movement at the forward end.

As constructed, the ribs 15 retain the basket frame in coaxial alignmentwith its horizontal center line. However, the centrifugal force actingon the component parts, plus the intermittent impact of the tumblingfabrics, when the basket is rotating during a drying operation, wouldnormally tend to distort its alignment, causing sag and loosening of thevarious connections. Heretofore, these deleterious eiects have beenminimized by constructing the drum member as a substantially rigid drumreinforced by heavy securing bolts spanning the space between the frontand rear headers. The present invention, on the other hand,substantially Wholly avoids these undesirable effects by providing alighter, more durable construction having a useful operating life ofmore than double that of contemporary drums. This unique result isattained with the present construction by reason of the fact that theparallel truss arrangement of ribs 15 functions as a cantilever-supportproviding a much desired flexibility in allowing1 a predetermined degreeof vertical movement of the free end of the drum to cushion the effectof the centrifugal force and the impact of the tumbling clothes.

A unique feature of the present invention is the fact that therelatively light, thin ribs 15, as connected to the faces oftherespective end walls, are placed in longitudinal tension. byl anyvertical movement of the outer wall 13. Thiswillbe understoody byrealizing that the outer ends ofltheribs tend to move as radial armsanchored at wall 14, and therefore along an arc, but being constrainedby wall 13v to move in a vertical plane. As a result, the deflectionforcesftendto stretch the ribs, i. e., place the rib surfaces inlongitudinal tension, a strain which the thin ribs may readily andrepeatedly withstand without fatigue and/or failure. This characteristicallows the drum to gently flex from the horizontal during the dryingoperations without transmitting shocks, vibration, and the like,

to theV main bearings supporting shaft 50. The effect of this action isto isolate the main bearings, and, as a consequence, the bearing life ismaterially increased and lubrication problems do not arise. Anunexpected advantage ofjthe invention is the discoverythat a drumconstructed, as hereindescribed, with a diameter of fortytwo inchesl can readily handle loads of one hundred pounds'dry weight withoutpermanent distortion.

Yet a further advantage resides in the elimination of assembly problemsthrough the use of the independent clamping connections at therespective ends of the agitating ribs, Simple inspection of the drawingswill show that the securing bolts 17 can be rapidly and firmly threadedinto the clamping plates 19 without danger of damaging the ribs ordisturbing their alignment. Because of this, reject losses areeliminated and overall construction costs reduced.

Although the present invention has been described with respect to asingle embodiment, it will be understood that other and differentstructures may come within the scope of and incorporate the features ofthe invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Having described the invention, what we claim is:

l. A rotatable drum for a fabric drying machine cornprising incombination a foraminous peripheral wall, a flanged front wall and aflanged back wall; said latter walls being inserted in said drum andsaid flanges being welded to said peripheral wall; said front Wallhaving a central opening providing access into said drum; a plurality ofradially arranged agitating ribs secured longitudinally to the innerface of the peripheral wall by means of clinched prongs; each said ribbeing formed as an elongated triangular envelope provided with a set ofinwardly disposed terminal flanges enclosing each end and positionedsubstantially parallel to the walls; bearing means for rotatablysupporting said drum including a shaft integrally carrying a connectingspider; and removable securing means independently cooperating with eachset of said terminal flanges and each of said walls and said spider soas to iixedly secure said walls and ribs to said spider whereby loadscarried by said drum tend to ilex said ribs as a cantilever trussplacing said ribs under tension.

2. A rotatable cylindrical basket for fabric drying machines comprisingin combination a foraminous cylindrical wall, .a anged back wall and acentrally open anged front wall enclosing the respective ends of saidforaminous wall to thereby form a drum, a plurality of longitudinallyextending fabric agitating ribs positioned inside said drum in contactwith the foraminous wall and extending radially inwardly, each said ribcomprising a triangularly shaped thin metallic envelope having integralsecuring anges substantially enclosing each end of the envelope, arotatable shaft including radial spider arms equal in number to saidplurality of ribs positioned in registry with said ribs on the externalface of said back wall, and clamping means for independently securingsaid rib flanges to said back wall and spider arms and to said frontwall whereby said foraminous wall is suspendingly supported by acantilever truss arrangement of said ribs.

3. A rotatable cylindrical basket for fabric drying machines` comprisingin combination a foraminous cylindrical wall, a hanged back wall and acentrally open flanged front Wall enclosing the respective ends of saidforaminous wall to thereby form a drum, a plurality of longitudinallyextending fabric agitating ribs positioned inside said drum in contactwith the foraminous Wall and extending radially inwardly, each said ribcomprising a triangularly shaped thin metallic envelope having integralsecuring flanges substantially enclosing each end thereof, a rotatableshaft including radial spider arms equal in number to said plurality ofribs positioned in registry with said ribs on the external face of saidback wall, a pair of internal clamping plates positioned inside eachsaid rib and respectively abutting said end flanges, each said internalclamping plate including a plurality of threaded nuts, external clampingplates positioned on the outer face of said front wall in alignment withsaid ribs, said spider arms, clamping plates and walls being perforatedfor receiving bolts to rigidly secure the ribs to said front wall andthe back wall to said spider arms whereby said ribs are independentlyconnected to the end walls of the basket for suspendingly supporting thebasket from said spider arms.

4. A rotatable cylindrical basket for fabric drying machines comprisingin combination a foraminous cylindrical wall, a circular back wall and acircular open front member engaging the respective ends of saidcylindrical wall to thereby form an open end drum, a plurality oflongitudinally extending fabric agitating ribs positioned inside saiddrum in contact with and secured to the interior perimeter of theforaminous Wall and extending radially inwardly, each said ribcomprising a triangularly shaped thin metallic envelope having integralsecuring flanges substantially enclosing each end of the envelope, eachof said ribs also having reinforcing webs extending longitudinally ofthe `axis of said rib and forming a seating base therefor upon saidforaminous Wall, a rotatable shaft including radial spider arms on theexternal face of said back wall, and clamping means for independentlysecuring said rib flanges at a rst end to said back wall and spider armsand at a second end to said front member whereby said foraminous Wall issuspendingly supported by a cantilever truss arrangement of said ribs.

5. In a clothes drier having a rotatable, cantilevermounted basketincluding a front wall, a rear wall, and a foraminous peripheral walljoining said front and rear walls and normally subject to distortingstresses during basket rotation, and a basket reinforcing meansrotatably supporting said basket externally of said rear wall, theimprovement comprising a plurality of peripherally spaced clothestumbling ribs axially mounted inside said basket in contact with saidforaminous wall, and means for rigidly connecting said ribs at a firstend to said front wall and at a second end to both said rear wall andsaid reinforcing means whereby upon rotation of said basket each rib isplaced under tension stress as its adjacent foraminous wall tends toflex outwardly.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said reinforcing meanscomprises a rigid spider arm.

7. Apparatus as dened in claim 5, wherein said means for connecting saidribs to said front wall includes a locking plate disposed externally ofsaid wall and a locking plate disposed internally of said wall.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said means for connectingsaid ribs to said rear wall includes a locking plate disposed internallyof said wall.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 405,973Welch June 25, 1889 2,477,949 Amonsen Aug. 2, 1949 2,663,950 Dinley Dec.29, 1953 2,695,162 Kauffman Nov. 23, 1954

